When Too Much Tea Isn't Enough
by Max the bish deliverer
Summary: A collection of Tifa-focused one-shots and other musings. Because sometimes, too much "Tea" isn't enough...
1. Submission

**When Too Much "Tea" Isn't Enough...**

Blanket Disclaimer:

I don't own any _Kingdom Hearts_ characters. I just return them slightly traumatized.

* * *

><p><strong>Submission (M)<br>**

Tifa Lockhart was no angel.

Because angels didn't curse as creatively as she did at Cloud Strife, all but backing the swordsman against the rampart with both her body and the vicious words escaping from her pretty little mouth.

Cid Highwind colored himself impressed and stunned, because Cloud returned the volleys in quiet, biting tones, apparently being used to Tifa's occasional explosions and effectively taking verbal chunks out of her as well.

It was almost hard to watch.

Especially when Cloud snapped.

Shoving that big-ass sword of his into the ground and latching onto Tifa's arms, most likely so he wouldn't be at the business end of her lethal right hook, the swordsman bodily spun her into the rampart, pinning her there and shoving his knee between her thighs.

Cid ignored his face heating and noticed three things at that exact moment.

One, Tifa's jaw closed with an audible click.

Two, Cloud Strife did know how to speak and loudly with "Care to share that with the audience, Tifa?"

Three, Leon looked like he was about to kill someone.

Cid scratched at day-old stubble before taking a drag off of his cigarette. He knew that Leon saw some similarity between his old love Rinoa and Tifa, and treated the latter with the comfortable avoidance the woman was used to.

Tifa Lockhart was used to being left alone. Especially now that Cloud made a nasty habit of it.

A look at Tifa's face told the older man everything he needed to know. The blush blossoming on the martial artist's face spoke of irritation and embarrassment. If she could get enough leverage, she could safely relieve Cloud of his face.

And looked like that was the first thing on her mind before she dropped her head, black hair falling to shadow her eyes and a quiet "no" echoed eerily loud through the air.

"Good," Cloud growled, a gloved hand dividing the curtain of hair and lifting up her head to look at him and only him. "Have we come to an understanding?"

Fire flashed through red eyes before they looked away. She loved him and hated him even more.

Cloud followed her line of sight, an eyebrow rising when he saw Leon glaring at him, before turning his head and commanding her attention once more. The older man could keep glaring for all he cared. This was none of his business. "Tifa."

Despair replaced the fire, leading to her visible deflation when she answered, "yes."

"No more following?"

"Yes." Lashes drifted over watering eyes before she tried to drop her head again, failing when his fingers tightened on her chin. He knew exactly how much this hurt her and yet he insisted on coldly ripping her to pieces, in front of everyone.

"You'll stop worrying?

Tears fell when her eyes snapped open, how dare he. "You know that-"

His fingers flexed, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make her aware that he was the one had the upper hand this time around. "Tifa."

She was going to slaughter him herself. "You fucking-"

"Are you done?" Electric blue eyes flared bright before they slit, glittering with restrained fury.

"I'll...I- no more worrying." She swallowed the lump in her throat before shifting her weight, mindful of his thigh between her own.

"Tifa, I need to fight this battle on my own, will you let me do that?"

"Of course-"

"Will you?"

"Yes, I just want-"

"I will return, but I need your patience. Do I have it?"

"Yes," she slumped, letting his thigh take her weight and ignoring when he pressed closer, wordlessly supporting her as she did he all these years.

"Thank you," he let his hand drop to her hip, pressing a gentle kiss on lips that softened under his own. Whispering "I feel safer when you're here," he pulled away far enough to look at their shocked audience. "Show's over, folks." Cloud caught a look on Leon's face he wasn't entirely comfortable seeing, but he'd deal with him later. Breathing deeply, he let the anger fall away before turning his attention to the wilting Tifa, pulling her close and tucking her head under his chin. "Are you ready?"

"No," she grumbled before raising her arms to clasp around his neck. "You're an asshole."

"Tifa," he said, the warning weaving through his voice once more. "Do we need to go over this again?"

"No," she bit off what was probably a curse, dropping her arms to push him away.

He merely tightened his grip on her before smirking, only adding fuel to a building fire. She'd be ready to fire off another round here shortly. "Good, now, to apologize to you properly." Shifting his grip on her, Cloud leaned down and grabbed her around her thighs, hoisting the woman over his shoulder and starting toward the Gummy. "Let's mosey," he shouted over her protests and sputters and looked at the taciturn Leon.

Cid kept a few steps back, watching Tifa pound her fists into Cloud's back, the blond showing no reaction until he patted something in front and she yelped before hissing off more creative curses.

Welcome to the Committee, he smirked before smashing his cigarette under his boot and followed the group to the ship.


	2. Epsilon 1

**Disclaimer:** Here's the thing. None of these will fit Canon. So if that's what you're looking for...the back button is up there. But if what you're looking for is fun, adventure, the occasional tiny bit of porn (with a hint of alternative relationships), then you might be in the right spot. Credit goes to Rhino7 (

**Rating R** for language, content, and okay, it's me, more content and oh, Zack Fair. **  
><strong>

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><p><strong>1. Child<strong>

A child.

A mere child saved their entire galaxy.

Running a dust-covered glove through his hair, Leon sighed and continued to aid in Radiant Garden's

reconstruction.

Thinking of those things only made his already-dour mood worse.

* * *

><p><strong>2. Now<strong>

"Oh hell," Yuffie bit off when Merlin's hat entered his potion lab two feet before him.

The old wizard tutted "Language, Miss Kisaragi," before flicking his hand at her.

Pixie dust.

Everywhere.

Blowing it from her lips, Yuffie fixed a glare on the

man in front of her.

Oh yes, she was in trouble.

Looking up at him again, she started screaming.

Now towering over her by more than a few feet, try a few hundred if you asked her, she shook her fist and yelled, "You win this time, old man!"

Merlin stared at the little person level with his pointed slipper. "I'm sorry Yuffie, but I can't hear a

squeak you say."

**3. Believe**

"I'm not too sure what to believe anymore," Leon muttered while looking through the bottom of his

now-empty glass. "Refill?"

Tifa let the tiny smile form, refilling the glass with whiskey and sliding it over to the increasingly chatty gunblader. "Believe that she's still looking for you."

"Ten years, Tifa."

"It's not forever," she said, her own voice forlorn. After all, she personally knew that Rinoa wasn't dead

and still searching for him. The least she could do is keep Leon afloat until then they found each other.

* * *

><p><strong>4. Sing<strong>

Yuffie drifted off, hearing the fire sing what sounded like a song about saucepans.

* * *

><p><strong>5. Wait<strong>

"Wait!"

He kept walking to the Gummi, his eyes focused on the ship before him, his ears and attention on his mission partner.

"Please," not as loud as the demand for him to wait. Leon halted, half-turning and lifting his free arm to

Tifa, whose slow walk hid her limp terribly. He wanted to let her keep her diginity by letting her make her way to the Gummi unaided, but pain must be winning that fight.

Tossing his head to the ship, he beckoned to her and waited.

For the one woman who asked for nothing of him, he could do at least that.

* * *

><p><strong>6. Thousand<strong>

The night sky twinkled with thousands of tiny stars, light winds and the fading warmth of summer in Radiant Garden providing the perfect lullaby for sleeping

outside.

One Tifa was loathe to ignore, especially since it got her away from the hot, almost sticky group of fighters stuck at Merlin's in hopes the wizard would concede to their arguments and fire off a blizzard small or six.

No one would miss her, it'd be one less body in the house.

And no one believed her when she told them the temperature outside would keep dropping until dawn.

Finding a rockless spot half-hidden under a low tree, Tifa sat and reclined against the tree's trunk, noting with delight her ability to still see the stars.

Perfect.

Dammit, now it got cold.

* * *

><p><strong>7. Hold<strong>

Pressing his head against Tifa's stomach, Sora realized two things.

One, Tifa was wearing one of Leon's shirts.

Two, holding her was almost like holding his mom.

* * *

><p><strong>8. Vision<strong>

Aerith stopped just short of the Fountain Court's wall when she saw Sora dozing in Tifa's lap, the martial artist carding bare fingers through blond hair much like a mother does her son.

"I'll be damned," Cid muttered around a cigarette at the sight. "I knew men who would kill to be in that

position."

"Cid, shut it! It's so cute!" She squealed lightly before joy turned into anguish.

Now it all made sense.

* * *

><p><strong>9. Gentle<strong>

Aerith and Cid weren't the only ones who found the two napping in the Court.

"There you are," Leon whispered, relieved that he now knew where Tifa and Sora had disappeared to. Boots squeaking softly, he knelt at the side of Tifa not occupied by Sora's body, and touched her shoulder lightly, stepping aside to avoid an instinctive.

She jumped, jolting Sora momentarily out of his slumber, the boy turning tired eyes to Leon, figuring

the man not a threat and nestling his face once again against Tifa's middle.

"He'd been out for a while," she said, once again carding her fingers through the boy's hair, slowly

focusing on the man next to her.

Leon slid down the wall to join her, reaching over to mess with Sora's hair. "Lucky kid," he added,

amusement coloring his voice. There was nothing wrong with taking the chance to enjoy the needed silence.

* * *

><p><strong>10. Picture<strong>

In all honesty, the picture was adorable and snapped unbeknownst to the ones starring in it.

Sora held the plastic between two fingers and glared at Yuffie, who shrugged and pointed at Aerith. "What? It's cute!"

His newly-returned heart ached at the memories he had sleeping in Tifa's lap in the Fountain Court. At that moment, he knew that she missed someone she considered her son. He missed his mother terribly. And sometimes, replacements were okay when it really mattered.

* * *

><p><strong>11. Attention<strong>

"You look like a puppy died in your arms, Lockhart." Cid extinguished a cigarette on the marble bartop,

watching the wine-eyed young woman jump out of her daze and look at him woefully.

"Hey, old man," she greeted him with a wide-smile that seldom reached her eyes anymore. "What can I do for you?"

"How about a real smile for starters?"

"Now Cid, you know that's impossible!"

* * *

><p><strong>12. Wrong<strong>

"That's where you get it wrong, Lockhart. He doesn't leave because of you..FUCK." Cid winced at an audible zap. "He comes back because of you."

* * *

><p><strong>13. Last<strong>

Rinoa Heartilly stopped at Tifa Lockhart last, curiousity all over her face when she touched the young woman's face, her hair, before glaring at the group.

Three seconds was all it took for the space traveler to check her friends' faces before turning back to Tifa, schooling her irritation at the group into serene _ennue_.

It wasn't Tifa's fault they looked incredibly similar.

Except, Rinoa paused to appraise the fighter once more.

And looked back to herself.

Back to Tifa.

Snorting at the realization that she'd look exactly like Tifa Lockhart if she was built for pure sex.

But Rinoa Heartilly was built for travel.

The woman in front of her was built to fight.

"Hi! I'm Rinoa, you must be Tifa," she held out a hand, a split-second before she glomped the bustier doppelganger, feeling her stiffen in the embrace.

With a wince, Rinoa stepped back, her arms falling to Tifa's covered elbows. "Rinoa Heartilly, space traveler and star gazer extraordinaire!"

"Tifa Lockhart," Tifa dropped her head, not quite sure how to handle the very situation she prayed she'd never land herself in. "Bartender."

* * *

><p><strong>14. Young<strong>

One is never too old to be slung over a shoulder, said slinger jumping into the nearby pool and promptly dunking you.

* * *

><p><strong>15. Cool<strong>

Tifa flung her hair out of her face, accidentally slapping Leon's face with soaking wet tendrils.

And tried to laugh her head off.

Safe to say Leon didn't appreciate her efforts.

"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I just, you just, I can't take that glare seriously when you look liked a drowned-"

"I will end you."

Her face reflected her bemusement. "With that chest, you are absolutely not a rat."

He flicked water at her with a soaked glove. "Damn straight."

* * *

><p><strong>16. Hunger<strong>

One of these days, Leon will figure out where the girls put it all away.

* * *

><p><strong>17. Motion<strong>

Something changed.

Sora swore on it when Leon stormed in, something that no one currently standing in Merlin's living room ever witnessed, his back to the others, hissing and low voice rumbling at someone behind him.

A hand to Leon's back startled the gunblader, who whirled to face his assaulter.

Sora stared at his hand, rubbing his fingers together. "Why are you soaked?"

Anyone well-versed in Leon's mannerisms saw the look on his face before his lips flattened into a thin line when he walked over to the potions bay.

Cool fingers on Sora's shoulder signaled another's arrival.

Sora looked up to see Tifa waving at him, water dripping and puddling at her feet.

"Ignore him, he's just upset he couldn't swim as long as he'd have liked." She snarked and wrung out her hair, wincing when water smacked the stone floor.

Glass crashed over where Leon stood, potions leaking to the floor when the gunblader turned to face his mission partner.

Tranquil fury described Leon at the best of times.

Visible rage was something to be documented. Two potions in hand, Leon stalked over to Sora and handed a potion to Tifa. "The next time you crack your head on a fountain and fall in, you're on your own."

"Head wounds always look worse than they are," Tifa groused, downing the potion with a gag. "Besides, you could have just helped me out, not jumped-whoa."

Hands reached out to steady her when she stumbled back a step.

Sora chanced a look up at the man standing behind him.

Yeah, he'd be upset too if Donald or Goofy hid their injuries from a mission as well.

* * *

><p><strong>18. King<strong>

The one tiny sign of emotion one sees on Leon's face is normally whenever someone dares to bring up Tifa's decking King Mickey.

By accident.

She had meant to hit Cloud.

* * *

><p><strong>19. Change<strong>

Cid's eyes bulged slightly when Tifa entered the living room wearing an outfit he could safely say may have came straight from a wet dream that he'd never admit to having.

She walked over to the couch, pulling her drying hair from a white t-shirt's collar and turned to shoot a wine-red glare at Leon, who entered behind her.

The gunblader was missing something.

A few things actually.

First, his trademark jacket had disappeared, Cid supposed having the article soaked thoroughly meant a

trip to the washing machine.

His white shirt had been traded for a snugly-fit black t-shirt.

Come to think of it, Tifa's new shirt looked an awful lot like one of Leon's, given how it draped over her hips before settling underneath the two belts she wore crossed over her...

That certainly explained why Leon only had on two belts when he normally had four.

Of course Cid noticed these things.

And he knew that Tifa had been holding out on him by never wearing the placemat mini-skirt she now wore. He could now appreciate long legs muscled through years of fighting and finally, finally not encased in leather.

Thank you, Kingdom Hearts!

"Hello Legs," Yuffie greeted, Cloud following behind her, a luminescent blush on his face when Tifa and Leon turned to focus on them.

The ninja looked at the pink dusting Leon's own cheeks before she looked at Tifa, a mock leer on her face before she circled the woman and whistled. "Cid's going to have fap material for months after today."

"Yuffie," she hissed, "it was either this or wear wet clothes."

Aerith leaned over the girl, green eyes sparkling with the same promise on Yuffie's face. "No doubts that Cid wouldn't complain on either option. Tifa, you've been holding out on us."

The addressed tugged on the skirt's hem before she turned her eyes to the ground with a low "it was all I had."

Spinning Yuffie to face the men, Aerith sidled up to her friend, draping both arms over her shoulders,

mirroring Zack's favorite comforting motion. "It's just not often you show this much skin, and since they're over there drying out, we can call this outfit a hit." The flower girl brushed long brown hair out of her way, leaning low to see Tifa's face. "Is this Leon's shirt?"

Leon snapped out of his daze with a schooled expression. "She'd stretch your own out."

"Leon the pragmatist." Aerith's laughter rang through the living room before she muffled it with Tifa's shoulder. "I love, love, love it. Never change, Leon, please."

* * *

><p><strong>20. Command<strong>

It took a twenty minute walk and 95% of the female residents to complain about their significant others' noses bleeding, for Leon to declare Tifa's mini-skirt against the new Radiant Garden policies.

* * *

><p><strong>21. Naked<strong>

"Six." Leon added one more unconscious resident to his Mini-skirt count. It was a way to amuse himself and irritate the daylights out of his patrol partner.

"This was old two months ago, Leon. It's not funny anymore." He watched Tifa turn those curiously-colored eyes on him, drawing them to slits because she was right, it shouldn't be as amusing it was.

"Seven." But he couldn't help himself. Neither could any of the male residents in Radiant Garden.

"Dammit, Leon!" She hissed, her expression naming itself silently. witch-eyes. Oh, he'd pay for this later.

"You might as well be naked in that skirt. Eight, don't stop, nine." He watched two more men drop, much to their wives' incredibly vocal dismay.

"You-"

"Twenty munny says I'll hit fifty before patrol is over." The fastest way to get to the brawler's competitive spirit. Make it a bet.

"You're on." Tifa took that bet. Speaking from personal experience, she knew they'd hit at least one-hundred.

* * *

><p><strong>23. Bother<strong>

"When you leave, and I'm sure that will be soon, please don't bother to return to Radiant Garden,"

Merlin patted the swordsman on the shoulder and paused in the doorway to turn and look at him witheringly. "Miss Lockhart and Miss Gainsborough have people here who love them dearly. They no longer require your protection."

"That's none of-"

"I do understand, son. Of all the people here, I understand. But I see these men and women as my children and I refuse to see two women I love hurt repeatedly by you. Do not expect a warm welcome from any of the men here if you do return. And have a good day, Mr. strife." Merlin left with an exhausted sigh.

* * *

><p><strong>24. Precious<strong>

"What are we?"

Aerith looked up, startled. She repeated the question, wincing he sat in front of her, indigo eyes trained somberly on her. This was more serious than she thought.

"Yeah. What are we?" He asked again, shifting closer to grab her hands, holding them lightly, his thumbs rubbing against the back of her own. "Are we something or just friends with benefits?"

"I thought we're dating," she said, a small smile on her lips before she kissed him. "Last I checked, anyway."

His smile was blinding.

"Why do you ask?"

He readopted that serious expression, which unnerved her unexpectedly. "I'm trying to figure out something."

"That explains the smoke."

"Seriously. You're precious to me, you know that, right?"

"Zack, you're mine. Don't forget it. Or me for that matter. Now, what are you trying to figure out?"

"We've established that our good pal Cloud is a fool."

Aerith grinned and let him continue. Something was bothering her and she had an idea, but wanted to hear it out of him first.

"Something bothered me when I first met Leon and Tifa."

She slid into his lap, letting her thighs hang loose over his hips. "Oh?"

"She's a filthy liar."

Aerith balked, incensed that he'd dare insult her friend when she was in such proximity to him.

"Let me finish." He held up a placating hand. "When Cloud swung by unexpectedly, I thought they were going to rip each other apart. Last I checked, they were lovers."

She let him continue, waiting to hear his reasoning.

"Remember when you sent me outside to go get her?"

She nodded, recalling the brief moment of jealousy she felt when Zack embraced her friend from behind, only to soften because they were adorable together. And she was capable of sharing.

"She looked so damned lonely and told me she was fine. 'Just tired'," he finished in a high falsetto, no

where near the person he impersonated, but enough to drive his point home. "Tired my ass. She's tired of being left behind."

Aerith sighed and leaned forward, kissing her lover deeply. "Tifa's an odd one. She's got Leon beat on being hiding feelings."

"Where he hides behind indifference."

"She uses smiles. Drives me batty."

"I just wish we could do something. I don't know about you, but I know what it's like to be constantly left. It wears on you, especially when friends don't seem to notice or care."

"What are you driving at?"

"I want-" He dragged his bottom lip under his teeth, unable to voice his wants.

"Zack Fair!" Never let it be said that she wasn't perceptive to her boyfriend's desires. "Is this what I think it?" She immediately smirked, kissing him hard and fast. "Everyone deserved to be loved."

He returned the favor, shifting hands to tangle in her hair, eventually pulling away to catch his breath. "Think we're capable of this?"

She nipped his lips before kissing his nose. "I don't mind sharing her if you don't."

He blinked in rapid succession. "Is that a,"

"Yes it is. Everyone needs a safety net."

He sighed, pressing kisses against her neck. "You're amazing."

"I know," Aerith moaned, letting her lover explore before pinning a fierce glare at him. "How do you purpose we bring this up to her?"

"Later," Zack pulled her legs around his waist, hoisting her in his arms and standing, walking straight to the bedroom, flinging Aerith on the bed once they made it there. "Much later."

* * *

><p><strong>25. Wash<strong>

Tifa hissed when the doctor's guaze brushed against an angry-red slash. She futilely bit back a whimper, only for the whimper to escape, garnering the attention of the burnette sitting at the back of the room behind the curtain. "I'm allright," she added, ignoring her voice cracking mid-word when guauze hit another sensitive area. "And I'm lying."

The chuckle was unmistakable.

Amused green eyes looked up from their work on her shoulder when the physician smiled at the figher.

"You're handling this very well."

"She's an emergency room pro," the baritone voice was saturated with sarcasm.

"He really does love me," Tifa quipped, hearing the shifting of clothing before Leon yanked back thecurtain, tired of talking through cloth and not seeing what was going on.

* * *

><p><strong>26. Mad<strong>

It started with Tifa flinching at the mere sound of Cloud's voice, as if the swordsman had caught her doing something she shouldn't have in Sora's presence.

It continued with her yelling at Leon to let her follow the man, tears streaking down her face while

she flailed at the gunblader, who merely danced out of the way and blocked her blows, still maintaining his position between Tifa and the locked door Cloud Strife just left through.

It ended when Sora, who never made it a point to get visibily mad at anyone, save Heartless, brandished his Keyblade while standing between Tifa and the approaching Cloud strife, visibly angry for the tears now on his adopted mother's face.

* * *

><p><strong>27. Never<strong>

"I never wanted this," Tifa broke the silence of the Bailey just when Cloud relaxed long enough to smile. "I didn't expect Sora to outright attack you like that."

"Tifa, I understand."

"You do?"

"I'd do the same for my own mother."

"He reminds me of Denzel."

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>28. Goodbye<strong>

Cloud Strife merely plucked the Keyblade out of Sora's hands, not even minding his own strength. Setting the weapon on the ground, he lifted Sora out of his path, stepping front of Tifa, eerily blue eyes fixed on watery cinnamon.

A gloved hand gently touched the fighter's face, shifting to tangle in Tifa's hair and yanking her into a desperate embrace that bordered on furious.

The tears fell faster once Tifa realized he was kissing her goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong>29. Hide<strong>

Leon heard Sora's yelling, screaming vicious things at the blond that he wasn't exactly sure where the teen picked up the insults from.

But he was impressed with the variety.

Just not the circumstances.

He spun to see Cloud pulling away from Tifa, gloved hands falling away from muscled, bare arms and turning to run through the closing dark portal.

A glance at Tifa, who watched the blond walk away told Leon everything he needed to know. He stepped up behind the young woman, his bloodied hand hiding her eyes, and pulling her head back against his shoulder.

She didn't need to see Cloud look over his shoulder and mouth "I'm sorry."

Especially when everyone knew it wasn't true.

* * *

><p><strong>30. Book<strong>

A feathered pen scratched over yellowed journal pages as Merlin took notes from the weathered spellbook in front of him.

He pulled a jar full of blond hair out of the array of apothecary jars in front of him. Pulling out a fewstrands, he added them to the bubbling concoction at his left, watching the smoke plume shift from red to green before dissolving into silver sparkles.

A shockwave pulsed through Radiant Garden when he spoke the spell's sealing wards, rattling everything not already bolted to the wall or floors in the city.

Cloud Strife could physically never return to Radiant Garden.

* * *

><p><strong>31. Shadow<strong>

Zack shifted his hold on the injured Tifa, throwing a glare over his shoulder to their new "shadow".

The shadow's walk and body structure alone gave away the shadow's identity.

A sigh and a muffled sob ecaped the dozing fighter, her grip on his shirt tightening.

"I've got you," he murmured to her before focusing his attention on the person behind him.

"This is what you'll never have," he whispered and made his way to Aerith, Leon, and the waiting Gummy.

* * *

><p><strong>32. Fortune<strong>

"Oh hell no. Absolutely not. Roxas, fuck this, we're leaving." Axel shifted from his fighting position and turned his back on the enemies.

The enemies being Leon, Tifa, and Yuffie.

Roxas stared at the ginger Nobody, attempting to figure out if Axel had truly lost it. Gesturing to the crew not even twenty feet away and back to his partner, Roxas looked at the crew once more before brown eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

Axel pointed to the buxom fighter in the middle. "See that? They're cheating! You're cheating, dammit," he yelled at the committee members, who looked at the duo curiously.

Tifa shifted and absently rubbed her chest. She sort of owed these two her life and Yuffie was the only one who didn't know about it.

Which will make the debriefing that much harder, her mind griped before she smacked her hand to her face at Axel's frantic pointing and shouting "not with those legs, we won't!"

The short-haired young woman stared at the departing Nobodies before pinning a sly look on the group's second female. "Can we call that one a win?"

Leon nodded, eyes narrowing at Tifa, who was still rubbing her chest.

Only six people knew about the criss-crossing scars there, hidden by one of his shirts.

Two didn't count.

They were Nobodies after all.

* * *

><p><strong>33. Safe<strong>

"Where's Tifa?"

"Safe," Yuffie retorted, glaring at the spikey blond before throwing a few shuriken at him for kicks alone. Hoping that one would implant itself into his clearly thick skull, a noise of dismay escaped when he used that damned sword to easily knock them out of the air.

"Yuffie," he said, his voice sharp. Sounded like someone was getting irritated with her? But Cloud? Showing emotion? Surely this must be recorded in some fashion.

"She's safe. You're lucky I'm telling you that, asshole." Dark eyebrows dropped over temper-dark eyes.

She readied a few more shuriken. After what he did to her friend during the last Heartless battle, there was no way he was seeking Tifa out again.

Esepecially if she could stop him.

He would never know that Leon literally spirited the fighter away on an imaginary mission when someone radioed in Cloud's presence in the Great Maw.

Everyone silently swore they'd protect their beloved brawler from the man she honestly thought she loved.

Tifa could kick their asses for it later.

* * *

><p><strong>34. Sudden<strong>

Watching Zack wrench Cloud's massive weapon from the ground, hold it like he'd owned it, honed it for years, and suddenly throwing it at the blond warrior was evidence enough for Leon, who merely leaned on his own weapon and watched the two duke it out.

He still had no idea where Aerith found the massive man, but if he had that much strength and ability, Leon found himself liking Zack as a potential ally that much more.

* * *

><p><strong>35. Stop<strong>

"Why," Cloud ducked underneath the flat of his own sword, now in Zack's too-capable hands. "Can't I return to Radiant Garden?"

"Merlin banned you," Barely breathing heavy, Zack feinted to the left, darting right, sword poised at Cloud's midsection.

The hired warrior failed to miss the smaller knife is his opponent's half-hidden other hand.

Cloud cursed sharply, leaping backwards, time enough to survey the deep slice Zack managed to drag into his side.

Clever bastard.

And Merlin actually kept his word.

The fire burning in Zack's eyes told him that there was something else, another reason he was attacking

Cloud with almost everything he had.

OR was it everything?

Sweat beaded along the blond's forehead before he darted straight at the man, who took the opportunity

to spin and thrust the blade, sharp side to Cloud, following through with a fist that connected with an already-thrice broken nose.

Where the hell did Aerith find this mostrosity? Two seconds to think that lone thought was all Cloud had before he reacted to a low thrust, Zack abandoning the massive weapon as he was now in knife range.

Realization smacked Cloud just as Zack's massive fist did his face.

Zack wanted him dead.

Not because he hated him.

"You think a mere knife will do the job?"

"Only if you die slow," another punch, a kick that dropped both of them to the ground. "She fucking loved you."

Cloud stopped, stepping on his weapon just to make sure Zack didn't reach for it.

The other man halted, knife still at the ready.

"Loved?" Cloud pinioned, mindful of the past tense.

He wanted to slice that smirk off of that man's face. "Yeah, Spike, loved. To the point she almost died for it. And you're a big enough dick to leave her. Sephiroth will be so proud."

A sharp dance tune invaded the tense situation, both sets of bright blue eyes flicking to the forgotten third man, who lazily answered his phone, nodded twice, muttered "later" and flicked the device closed.

"Pack it up, Puppy, your girls are back."

Cloud Strife wasn't exactly sure how to feel about the black-haired man immediately sheating the knife in some hidden spot, and bouncing, literally, bouncing over to Leon, who merely chuckled and shook his head.

He wasn't used to being left alone mid-battle either.

* * *

><p><strong>36. Ghost<strong>

"That mansion is haunted," the villagers told them.

"Ghosts live in that mansion," a few scared folks rattled off before bundling themselves into worn cloaks and scurrying off.

Tifa Lockhart kicked at a loose paver stone, making a show of just how much she didn't want to go into that mansion. "I don't know, Leon, you know what the villagers said." She wore a face of concern before her lips pulled back into a grin. "It's haunted."

The dull look she received from her mission partner had her smiling even harder. "Aww, is Leon scared of ghosts?"

Up went an eyebrow, as if he asked her "really? You really went there?"

"I can go first, you know," she offered, walking toward the dark, decrepit structure and spun to hold her hand out to him. "I can even hold your hand if it makes you feel better."

"You're worse than Yuffie," was all he said before walking up to her, throwing her over his shoulder with a pat on her backside and headed into the mansion.

"Put me down."

"Watch your head," he glibbed, ducking under a fallen ceiling beam and straightening fast enough Tifa knocked her head on the wood.

She punched him.

He grimaced. "Try harder, Lockhart."

"Put me down."

"You're heavy, that leather does your complexion no favors and your taste in men blows worse than a

Traverse town whore." He rattled off, feeling her fidget with indignation on his shoulder.

"This, you, I'm not heavy," Tifa sputtered, moving to roll off of his shoulder until his grip around her thighs strengthened. "Put me down,"

"I just did."

"The ground, dammit."

For the first time in Tifa's life, someone dropped her to the ground.

For the first time in her life, she almost killed someone for it.

And of course, she'd blame Leon's sudden disappearence all on the ghosts.

* * *

><p><strong>37. Time<strong>

A black shirt fell to the floor.

A leather skirt dropped from svelte hips.

A utilitarian bra joined the slowly-growing pile of clothing.

Smart black shorts added to the height, followed by dainty panties Tifa Lockhart swore no one would ever see.

Standing in her bedroom naked, while standing in front of a full-length mirror was not how she wanted to spend her Saturday afternoon.

Angry red clashed with vivid purple of both scars forming a X on the tops of her breasts.

How did that saying go again?

Time heals all wounds? Was that it?

She scoffed at the reflection, watching a glove-soft hand reach up to rub against the healing slash.

Now if only someone would tell her why both scars burned so badly.

* * *

><p><strong>38. Eye<strong>

It was hot.

It wasn't this hot when she crept into the bedroom and curled herself beneath thin blankets in Zack's guestroom.

Tifa unfolded herself, freezing in place when a deep groan, followed by hands and thick arms shifting to enclose around her tighter.

"Too stiff," a familiar voice rumbled through her.

Someone nosed her hair, breathing in deeply before the presence disappeared.

It reappeared in the form of indigo eyes, narrowed with sleep, looking at her over her shoulder.

"Back to bed, Gorgeous."

"Where's Aerith?" She asked him, feeling him squeeze her tightly, his grip not relaxing as he curled around her once more, insinuating limbs in places she had every right to get irritated about. "Move your leg."

He shifted his leg, moving it to curl around her thighs. "Hospital for the week, helping out with the heavily injured. Tired of sleeping alone."

Tifa reached over her head, her hand finding the spikes and scalp she sought. Patting his head a few times, she cheeked "Aww, puppy misses its mistress."

Lips and teeth pressed against her neck.

A tease.

"Which is why he has two. See? Puppy's smarter than you give him credit for."

She rolled her eyes, fisting her hand in his hair, tugging lightly in warning.

"Please, Tifa."

Yeah, she could do that.

* * *

><p><strong>39. History<strong>

"Tifa and I have...history." Cloud coughed before fixing tropical-blue eyes on the taller, black-haired man.

Who crossed his arms over his muscled chest and stepped into Cloud's personal bubble. "And?"

History was a given. But to tell Zack that in his own home, with the mentioned sleeping on the other side of that door, most likely curled up with Aerith in a little girl pile that he couldn't wait to get in the middle of, was like adding kindling to a smoldering fire.

"And-" Cloud stumbled over his words when he realized Zack was not letting him through to see Tifa."I miss her."

Zack nodded for him to continue and wished he had a recorder to play back for the girls later.

"And where the fuck do you get off offering her a fucking threesome? Aerith doesn't play that way and Tifa sure as hell doesn't either."

Full lips pulled themselves into a wide smirk as Zack heard Cloud Strife spew off more words in ten seconds than he's heard in two years. So the idiot wasn't completely heartless after all.

Except he had the wrong information.

"First," Zack held up a pointer finger. "We love her and want to provide her with the love she absolutely deserves without smothering her. And second," he used the pointer finger to point to the door behind him. "It was Aerith's idea. I just liked it."

Up went the blond eyebrow, Cloud's silent way of saying "I don't believe you."

Zack was perfectly fine with Cloud never believing him.

He was not perfectly fine with the insinuation the blond seemed to think. And he was tired.

"Look, Spike, I have no idea why you're here. But if you have a message to deliver, tell me, I'll tell her when she wakes up tomorrow morning. If you don't, the door is right down those stairs and down the hall."

* * *

><p><strong>40. Harm<strong>

"It's Sora," Cloud stated, nodding ahead to the person half-hidden in the Bailey's darkness.

Hair prickled on the back of Leon's neck in warning. He approached the figure, who wasn't running to him as Sora would and brandished his gunblade.

"It's Roxas."

"We're not here to harm you," the soft-spoken teen acknowledged both warriors with a nod. "Axel." He looked over his shoulder.

Neither Cloud or Leon noticed or felt the presence of yet another Organization XIII member, carrying someone that had both warriors hearts dropping.

The blood-flecked pale face contorted with pain against Axel's shoulder. He shifted to hand Tifa off to whoever approached him first. "Legs here needs medical attention, three hours ago preferably."

Metal clattered to the floor, Leon watching Cloud rush up to the enemy, arms out expectantly.

And surprisingly gentle for the taciturn swordsman.

Neon blue flicked to Leon, spiked blond hair nodding to the door. "Call Aerith."

Leon looked to the Nobodies, who shifted uncomfortably. Roxas fingered a scarlet stain on his jacket, fixing bright blue eyes up to the brunet. "We stopped them, but I-"

A hand clamped over the younger Nobody's shoulder, Axel behind him perhaps to guard the teen? "We'll meet again." He cut Roxas off, his hand coming away from the shoulder, a bloody handprint left in its wake.

"Thank you both," Leon bit off with a nod, turning on a heel and leaving the Nobodies in the Bailey.


End file.
